Innovative Biz Brings Alternative, Clean Tech to Industry

wheel is a good application for them.

“Alot of the interest we receive is from contractors working in urban construction areas, like Philadelphia and New York, because they do not want to place steel plates down to keep treads from destroying asphalt and pavement,” he continued. “Even though wheeled excavators are an advantage, we still get a lot of requests for the rubber-tracked versions.”

The excavator and loaders that HEVI has produced are busily working at many different areas in the mid-Atlantic region, Wang said, through what he calls a “very aggressive demo and pilot phase” where the manufacturer has deployed its equipment to various companies ranging in size from small firms to huge corporations sporting construction equipment fleets of 1,000-plus machines.

HEVIs Powered By Top Maker of Lithium Batteries

Each of HEVI’s initial models is powered by lithium-ion batteries made by CATL, the world’s leader in lithium battery production.

“Our equipment can get nine hours of use out of a single charge, and to do that, even for our smallest front-end loader, it utilizes a battery that weighs over a ton and has a capacity of up to 141-kilowatt-hours at 660 volts,” explained Wang. “It is massive, but that is what you would need to get a full day’s shift from them.”

HEVI’s founder added that the battery lifecycles on his company’s products last 10-12 years – with a five-year warranty -- because their non-stationary direct current (DC) chargers do so slowly and progressively.

That is unlike the DC Fast Charging (DCFC) chargers used by other EV equipment makers that charge at an ultra-fast rate.

But, he said, “If that is done repeatedly, it will bring down the life of the battery.”

So, rather than relying on a DCFC-powered charger, the company spent a year developing and launching its own non-stationary chargers. Now, the DCH-220-10 charger comes standard on all HEVI equipment.

“If a site has 220-volt threephased power, or 480-volt threephased power, a business that owns HEVI equipment can just plug in its new portable charger to a standard socket and connect our machine just as you would with a laptop,” he said. “Our 480-volt DC charger will take about four to six hours to charge our machines from dead, so that you could use it for a full shift, let it charge overnight, and have it ready to go again the next day.”

In addition, HEVI’s machines are compatible with charging stations made by popular makers like Siemens and Blink Charging.

HEVI Plans to Quickly Respond to Customer Needs

To help support the new electric heavy equipment manufacturer’s goals, Wang emphasized that HEVI’s entire infrastructure needed to be close to the markets where it sells its products. “

"We specifically chose Baltimore for our first manufacturing site that will also serve as a distribution hub for our products,” he added. “We are right next to the port, and we have access to major roads, railways, and air transport within minutes.

“There is a large and skilled labor force there as well, which will allow us to expand the site very quickly,” Wang said. “In addition, after the Maryland plant is fully operational, we anticipate opening another facility in the state, along with more in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Each of them will become assembly facilities and distribution hubs for our parts as well.”

Beyond that, he noted HEVI has plans to continue its expansion efforts into the South Atlantic states.

“Right now, though, we are entirely focused on the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. for our sales because if any of our clients have an issue with their equipment, we want to make sure that we can get them a spare part that same day – or no later than one day,” he explained. “We do not want to hold up their business just because of a part.”

Additionally, HEVI is building an authorized service provider network through facilities like truck repair centers in the region that have the equipment to support heavy products.

If a client needs a repair at a job site, Wang said, HEVI can send a service technician out to fix the problem.

“A few shops have signed up already, and in the MidAtlantic region, I have spoken to people at many truck repair centers that want to sign up right away,” he added.

Change Can Lead to Economic Savings

Among the challenges he and his colleagues face are educating contractors, equipment operators, and farmers – many of whom are slow to accept change – on the advantages of EV technology over traditional diesel equipment.

“We understand that we are at the forefront in converting people to a new technology. They have used diesel their entire careers, and their fathers and grandfathers also went with diesel. We want to make it easy for them to adopt electrified equipment,” Wang explained.

“First off, we pegged our prices for the equipment to comparable diesel machines,” he continued.

“For example, with our smaller GEL-1800, a 12,000-lb. front loader, the comparable diesel version would cost about $140,000, while our model costs about $135,000, which includes the battery, base charger, and a 1.25-cu.yd. bucket, so there is no sticker shock with it. When you factor in the power and fuel costs, and the fact that our machine, at corporate or industrial electricity rates, will only use about $2-$4 of electricity per hour, you are getting substantial savings.”